Posted by John Seidts [96.234.131.44] on Friday, August 21, 2015 at 08:38:55 :
In Reply to: Drone overhead! posted by Perry [96.242.125.237] on Thursday, August 20, 2015 at 05:19:33 :
It's a big issue, and is going to make its way to a national election at some point. My son builds them (in an educational setting where all rules are obeyed). I have been to one international flying competition and have some observations:
1. These things are coming, in big numbers, whether we like them or not. Industry is throwing massive amounts of money behind them. I am a private pilot and feel already that they are going to push General Aviation out of the sky- there is that much money behind them.
2. The FAA has put forth a proposed set of rules. Operators are already crying about them, for good reason. The rules are way out of date with the technology that runs the UAV's. The FAA has very little enforcement capability, and would need massive infusion of cash to be able to begin to enforce the rules. You know what happens when the government smells an opportunity to tax?
3. UAV's are cheap. The bottom line quad copters can be had with very nice software packages for less than $200.00. So of course, every non-Power Wagon drivin' crystal-meth smokin' idiot with $200 can buy one. And they are flying them like a trailer park love affair gone bad- lots of noise, cops, and pissin' off of neighbors.
4. There are very high-priority, useful, critical applications for the UAV's. I know of several that have helped out in some dicey situations ( and not just strikes against ISIS or Taliban).
I'd like to see them used more and more in these critical applications. I also think that it needs a massive bunch of legislation on national and local level to do it safely on the order of the first Air Commerce Acts of 1927. But with the current bunch of clowns we have making our laws, I'm not hopeful.